July 19, 2009 16th Sunday, Year B
Universal Shepherd
Jeremiah is known as the reluctant prophet. Timid by nature and suffering a speech defect, he found it
hard to believe God was calling him to be spokesperson for his people. Yet, it is through the lips of
Jeremiah we learn something of the true nature of God as universal shepherd. Today's Psalm also
describes God as the ideal ruler and shepherd guiding his people, protecting them from evil and feeding
them a banquet.
All this is a far cry from the real world of terror, violence and division. This is also a world in which
leaders of peoples and nations too often act like jealous warlords rather than caring shepherds. God's
promise through Jeremiah is to raise up leaders of honesty and integrity who will shepherd their flock.
Here there will be no more terror or division.
Is this just some kind of utopian dream? In Ephesians, the hard-headed Paul recognises divisions
between people are deeply ingrained in human hearts. Yet, he also knows these racial, cultural, religious
and human barriers have been destroyed by Christ who "in his own person killed the hostility".
According to John, Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who died to unite all the scattered people of God
(John 10: 16; 11:52).
Mark's Gospel shows that Jesus saw his own earthly ministry in terms of shepherding. He responds to
the crowds with compassion because he sees "they were like sheep without a shepherd". And, like the
shepherd in the Psalm, Jesus invites the apostles to "rest for a while" to revive their drooping spirits.
Something of the biblical shepherd image is lost to contemporary ears. In Australia, where sheep stations
carry thousands of sheep, we have graziers and pastoralists rather than shepherds. This is far removed
from images of biblical shepherds who tend their small flocks and know each sheep by name (John
10:3). Since groups of shepherds worked together, it was important that shepherds knew their own
sheep and their sheep knew them (John 10: 14).
This intimate relationship between sheep and shepherd needed to be established at an early stage.
Consequently, when Isaiah pictures God as a shepherd who "gathers the lambs in his arms and carries
them close to his heart" (Isaiah 40: 11), he is reflecting on normal shepherding practice in biblical,
mid-Eastern times.
The good shepherd not only cares for his sheep, he leads them out to more restful waters and greener
pastures. If necessary, he leaves the ninety-nine and goes in search of the one who is lost (Matthew 18:
12). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, responds to people's needs through his ministry of teaching and healing.
God, the universal shepherd, is nowhere better depicted than in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:
11ff.) as the ever-loving and forgiving Father waiting to celebrate his son's return with a banquet.
The banquet is a common image throughout the Scriptures including today's Psalm. The Eucharist
re-enacts Jesus' final banquet with his disciples. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we make
ourselves at one with Jesus the Good Shepherd, and share in the work of God, the universal shepherd.
Gerard Hall SM
© Redemptorists 2009
**********************************************
Universal Shepherd
Jeremiah is known as the reluctant prophet. Timid by nature and suffering a speech defect, he found it
hard to believe God was calling him to be spokesperson for his people. Yet, it is through the lips of
Jeremiah we learn something of the true nature of God as universal shepherd. Today's Psalm also
describes God as the ideal ruler and shepherd guiding his people, protecting them from evil and feeding
them a banquet.
All this is a far cry from the real world of terror, violence and division. This is also a world in which
leaders of peoples and nations too often act like jealous warlords rather than caring shepherds. God's
promise through Jeremiah is to raise up leaders of honesty and integrity who will shepherd their flock.
Here there will be no more terror or division.
Is this just some kind of utopian dream? In Ephesians, the hard-headed Paul recognises divisions
between people are deeply ingrained in human hearts. Yet, he also knows these racial, cultural, religious
and human barriers have been destroyed by Christ who "in his own person killed the hostility".
According to John, Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who died to unite all the scattered people of God
(John 10: 16; 11:52).
Mark's Gospel shows that Jesus saw his own earthly ministry in terms of shepherding. He responds to
the crowds with compassion because he sees "they were like sheep without a shepherd". And, like the
shepherd in the Psalm, Jesus invites the apostles to "rest for a while" to revive their drooping spirits.
Something of the biblical shepherd image is lost to contemporary ears. In Australia, where sheep stations
carry thousands of sheep, we have graziers and pastoralists rather than shepherds. This is far removed
from images of biblical shepherds who tend their small flocks and know each sheep by name (John
10:3). Since groups of shepherds worked together, it was important that shepherds knew their own
sheep and their sheep knew them (John 10: 14).
This intimate relationship between sheep and shepherd needed to be established at an early stage.
Consequently, when Isaiah pictures God as a shepherd who "gathers the lambs in his arms and carries
them close to his heart" (Isaiah 40: 11), he is reflecting on normal shepherding practice in biblical,
mid-Eastern times.
The good shepherd not only cares for his sheep, he leads them out to more restful waters and greener
pastures. If necessary, he leaves the ninety-nine and goes in search of the one who is lost (Matthew 18:
12). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, responds to people's needs through his ministry of teaching and healing.
God, the universal shepherd, is nowhere better depicted than in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:
11ff.) as the ever-loving and forgiving Father waiting to celebrate his son's return with a banquet.
The banquet is a common image throughout the Scriptures including today's Psalm. The Eucharist
re-enacts Jesus' final banquet with his disciples. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we make
ourselves at one with Jesus the Good Shepherd, and share in the work of God, the universal shepherd.
Gerard Hall SM
© Redemptorists 2009
**********************************************
